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Sandy L., Nebraska

As the most inexperienced of new teachers, I will share with you my tiny little experience of this. I know I will not answer your question in any kind of specific way, but you also asked for experiences, so I am hoping that hearing from someone brand new with somewhat of a positive experience can help. Teaching only my 2 daughters and 2 other groups (still on level 1), here is what I have learned.

I took Neil’s advice with just asking at the beginning of each lesson, “anybody compose anything this week?” This went on week after week with my first group (my daughters), answer “no, no….”

So, I composed a song and played it for them. I showed them how I did it—5 fingers over 5 notes, and finding “home” with left hand, as Neil suggests on the C&I training. I think they began to realize if Mom can do it, anybody can do it. They still haven’t played any “composition” for me in lesson time, but of course, I hear their practice all the time. I began to hear more improv, if not comp, since showing them what I did. Maybe I need to go ahead and give them the same assignment. I do continue to ask every group, every lesson (so far), “anybody compose anything this week?”

I am having some kids respond to this and come to class with very short little songs, sometimes RH only. I consider even the attempt worthy of lots of praise because I want them to keep at it. I need to be ready for the next time a RH only comp comes in—I need jump on the opportunity to help them see how to find “home” with the LH.

With all the groups, daughters included, after showing the students FSS and chords, other basics in lesson 1, part of their assignment was of course to practice this. The other part of their assignment was just to play with these tools and see what sounds they could make with them. I gave some suggestions, like moving the FSS and chords around, trying both hands together, and once FSS smooth and even, can you mix them up to make a song? (Nobody was willing to share a song at the 2nd lesson, so don’t know if any songs came from this, but seems not.)

I also started variations from the 2nd or 3rd lesson, if it seemed like the students were ready. Once DCT was learned, moving it up one white key was very simple for most. Every time I introduce a variation or arrangement, I use it as an example of how students can change or embellish the songs themselves to make the song uniquely theirs. If they seem lost, I give ideas, like trying DCT on all black notes to see what they can come up with. I had 3 of 4 students in one of my groups come back with their own versions of this today. One of the 3 said he had also composed something else but didn’t like the way it sounded enough to play it at lessons today.

One other idea—I assigned my daughters to play Honey Dew duets with one playing the accompaniment on the bottom and the other improvising on top. Told them there is no right or wrong, just play and see what comes out. To me it seems like this chord progression is so basic that you can do almost anything with it and it is going to be okay. And, of course, their ears and their own opinions will tell them if it’s not okay. They have been enjoying that this week. HD is so easy, I’m thinking of giving this same assignment to parents and children to do together—switching positions, so both get improv time.

I don’t think there is really a timeline or a how often, but more of an idea of the continual open invitation to comp and improv. (When I started a few months ago and was trying to come up with a name for my studio, my 4yo daughter suggested “Come to piano. It’s open.” I have tried to keep that as my theme/motto ever since, although it is not the name I gave my studio.)

Whenever you get an idea, like I did with HD, assign it to as many groups as you have that are ready for that idea. I think if you assign something and it doesn’t pan out, you might just try it again later. Trial and error, and you will begin to see what makes a group ready for a certain idea. Just my thought, not like I’m anywhere near an expert!

I apologize for being so long-winded. In summary:

1. environment of permission
2. model the behavior you want to see, which means play your comp and improv for them, so they will compose because their teacher does
3. you will get ideas as you go, from your own experience, from others, and from the training—assign the ideas to groups as you see fit and see what happens.

Certainly not a perfect experience, but just some small ideas. I am making plenty of mistakes as well, but perhaps I should save that for another e-mail. Suffice it to say, I need to become braver about asking questions like “what prevented practice this day?” and “what about that day?”

But I am soaking in all the ideas I’ve read about on the ECL and taking Janita’s advice on just acting like the teacher I want to be.

Robin T., Tennessee

I agree with you, Sandra. There really isn’t a right or wrong (like the compositions aren’t right or wrong) or when to introduce. It is simply making the students feel comfortable in doing it. I started off the year saying, “Miss Robin has made some New Years resolutions, and they are going become part of each lesson”. Of course, they were all like, “Oh, mannnnn” or “this is too hard” but once I got past the no right or wrong thing with them, they are really open to it. I have had a lot of students start in JAN, so I started them right off with it, doing just as Neil says, “Have you composed anything this week” and they are all doing it! One little girl got tackled by her brother when he found out she was writing a song about how mean he is! But, she is composing!

In terms of first lessons, I have had great success with the Night Storm INC. I ALWAYS teach this to my beginning students. It was posted quite a while back, so here is the breakdown.
1. You start on A a couple of octaves up high on the piano. And, you play Dreams with your RH on A and NS left had with it. I have them play all of Dreams.
2. Then, you go down and play NS where it is supposed to be played. I usually let them play it twice and have them take the octave down in the LH on the second time.
3. Then, you go back up and play Dreams RH on A and NS left hand.

Step 3 is where some of the composition and improvisation comes in. I just tell them to go up and play Dreams, but I don’t tell them which part, how long to play it, or how to end the song. I make them write an ending to it. It could be just a broken chord going up, a broken chord down, they could end with a 5SS like in NS. They can improve the Dreams and REARRANGE it. Whatever. I usually do this at the 3rd lesson if they have Dreams on D (which gives them the experience of playing Dreams on a different note) and NS pretty well. If not, I’ll wait a week or two. But, it really sounds wonderful and the students start from the very first lessons with assignments for Comp and Improv.